(Photo credit score: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports)
The free-agent posting of Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto might happen as early as Monday, the New York Post reported.
Yamamoto might be an costly acquisition for whichever Major League Baseball staff indicators him. It is anticipated he’ll signal a long-term deal value greater than $200 million, and his present staff in Japan will obtain a proportion of the contract worth on high of that, which possible will attain greater than $30 million.
Several big-market groups and perennial contenders, together with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and each New York groups, are anticipated to court docket Yamamoto.
The 25-year-old spent the previous six-plus seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, compiling a 70-29 file with one save and a 1.82 ERA in 172 video games. He has struck out 922 batters over 897 innings.
In 23 video games in 2023, he completed with a 16-6 file and 1.21 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 164 innings. Those quantity helped him to his third straight Triple Crown within the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball as he led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
Only three pitchers in Major League Baseball have received the Triple Crown 3 times — Sandy Koufax, Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
He additionally has received the Eiji Sawamura Award, which equals the Cy Young Award, 3 times.
The 5-foot-10 Yamamoto received a gold medal with Japan within the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and one other within the World Baseball Classic earlier this yr.
–Field Level Media